Loop for scale-levers.



No. 687,472. Patented Nov. 26, 901,

J A BARCLAY LOOP FOR SCALE LEVEHS.

WITNESSES m a maw.

A TTORNEK UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. BARCLAY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

LOOP FOR SCALE-LEVERS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 687,472, clated'November 26, 1901.

Application filed January 30, 1901. Serial No. 45,289- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. BARCLAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loops for Scale- Levers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to loops that are designed to be employed in connection with levers that form parts of weighing-scales, particularly the type known as platform-scales, as those on which wagons or railway-cars may be placed with their loads.

The object is to provide an improved loop of this character which may be cheaply constructed and quickly repaired at small expense, while avoiding inconvenience and delays incident to transporting the parts to a shop for refitting.

Heretofore it has been difficult to construct a loop having hard bearing-surfaces without damaging the portions adjacent the hard por tions, these parts having been formed practically integral or solid, so that cracks often developed in the process of hardening, the cracks usually being unobservable until in use the loops might give way and cause seri ous delays and damage, with consequent eX-' pense. In my invention I obviate these evils by providing insertible or removable bearing-blocks that are also self-adj usting in the loops and require no neat fitting in their application.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference-letters in the several figures indicate like parts, Figure 1 represents one of the loops perspectively as constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a fragmentary view in elevation, showing one position in which such loops may be employed, it being well known that they may be also used in other positions and inverted relative to levers and other connecting parts; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the loop, in which a portion is shown in vertical section as on a line X X in Fig. 5; Fig. 4, a horizontal sectional View of a limb of the loop as on a line Y Y in Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 a vertical sectional view showing a portion of a limb as on a line Z Z in Fig. 3. The dotted line W W indicates the plane in which are the bearing-surfaces of the loop and the lever or the knifeedge blades of the lever.

In the drawings, A designates the loop as an entirety; I3, an end of a lever having bearing-blades b of usual construction, which engage the loop; 0, a stand, and D a link connecting the loop with the stand. In some cases other elements than the-link D may be employed in connection with the loop or the link may be dispensed with.

In construction the loop A has a curved portion a, which engages the link D or other suitable object, and two substantially paral-' lel limbs or portions 01 01-, having eyes 6 e to receive the well-known knife-edge bearingblades 12 of the lever B, whether situated at the ends or intermediate the ends of the lever. As I form the ends of the limbs d (1' there is a deep recess F, similar to a pocket, but with two sides open, extending downwardly from the eye proper toward the extremity m, which is elongated. This part of the loop, comprising the curved portion a, and the limbs d d, is preferably composed of a steel casting, it being adapted to be molded and cast, therefore being less expensive than a forging, although with suitable tools it may be forged quite accurately and cheaply and be equally substantial. The recess F has opposing inclined sides diverging from the bottom thereof upwardly, and each side has a projecting guide-rib G extending vertically. The bottom h of the recess is crowning or convex, being highest at the center between the two open sides of the recess and curving downwardly from the center to such sides.

The bearing-blocks E E are alike and interchangeable and may be composed of steel hardened throughout, or the bearing-face f only may be hardened. Two opposite sides j j of each block are inclined to correspond to the inclined sides of the recess F, and the bottom '5 is concave to match and find its seat upon the convex bottom h. Each side j has a vertical guide-groove H, formed somewhat broader than is the rib G, with which it engages, so that a clearance-space, as at n, is provided between the rib and groove in order to permit the block to rock on its seat.

The top of the-block forming the hard bearingf is concave, so that when. the block is in position in the limb-recess the top of the block will be the bottom of a substantially circular eye of sufficient diameter to. permit of the block being raised from its seat and withdrawn laterally from the eye and similarly replaced. In this construction it will be observed the four top edges 70 k 70 k of the pair of blocks may be drawn into alinoment by the blades 1), or if the blades should not be exactly in alinement they will find a full bearing upon the blocks as the latter adjust themselves to conditions, while the faces of the bearings f require no special fitting other than to make each one itself straight, as in the direction of the line W W. Should the faces bocome corroded, they may be easily ground true again after having removed the block from the limb, thus effecting a considerable economy, and should one block be ground away slightly more than its mate it is obvious that they will adjust themselves and still be serviceable.

In practical use these improved loops may be employed in the same manner as are those of well-known form, and their advantages will be apparent to those who have the maintenance of scales in charge.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a scale-loop, the limb having the eye 1 with the elongated extremity below the eye having the recess therein, the opposing inclined walls at the sides of said recess, the ribs attached to said walls, and the removable block in said recess, in combination with the bearing-blade engaging said block, substantially as set forth.

2. In a scale-loop, the removable bearingblock havingthe hardened upper surface and having the inclined sides diverging from the bottom thereof upwardly, the grooves in said inclined sides, and the limb having the recess therein supporting said bearing-block, in combination with the bearing-blade engaging said hardened surface, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the bearing-blades of a scale-lever, of the herein-described loop consisting of the limbshaving the eyes, the curved portion connecting the limbs, the elongated portions below the eyes having the re-, 

